Anchiornis vs Coelophysis

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Anchiornis and Coelophysis, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Anchiornis Coelophysis
Scientific Name Anchiornis huxleyi Coelophysis bauri
Classification Theropoda Theropoda
Period Jurassic Late Triassic Late
Diet Insectivore Carnivore
Length 0.4 m 3.0 m
Height 0.2 m 1.0 m
Weight 0 kg 20 kg
Discovery Year 2009 1889
Discovery Location Tiaojishan Formation, China Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, USA
Named By Xu Xing et al. Edward Drinker Cope

Size Comparison

Anchiornis 0.4 m

smaller than a human child

Coelophysis 3.0 m

about the size of a human adult

Weight Comparison

Anchiornis 0 kg

lighter than a human adult

Coelophysis 20 kg

lighter than a human adult

Timeline Comparison

Anchiornis
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Coelophysis
237.0 Mya Triassic Late (Mesozoic) 201.4 Mya

Diet Comparison

Anchiornis

Insectivore

Anchiornis primarily fed on insects and other small invertebrates.

Coelophysis

Carnivore

Coelophysis was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.

Classification Comparison

Anchiornis

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Coelophysis

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Both dinosaurs share a common ancestor within the Theropoda clade.

Did You Know?

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Coelophysis was about 7.5x longer than Anchiornis.

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Coelophysis weighed roughly 200x more than Anchiornis.

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Anchiornis was a insectivore while Coelophysis was a carnivore.

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Anchiornis lived during the Jurassic Late while Coelophysis lived during the Triassic Late, separated by roughly 92 million years.

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Coelophysis was discovered 120 years earlier, in 1889.

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Both belong to the Theropoda clade, making them relatively close relatives.

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